1200 word argument essay
Lowering the legal drinking age to under 21 is linked to a higher risk of homicides and suicides among adult women, according to new research.
Since 1984, the legal drinking age in the United States has been 21. Richard A. Grucza, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and his co-authors used data from the U.S. Multiple Cause of Death files, 1990-2004, along with data on living populations from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. The combined data contained records on more than 200,000 suicides and 130,000 homicides for individuals who turned 18 between 1967-1989, when the legal drinking ages were in flux.
"In this study, we found that youth who lived in states with lower drinking ages remain at elevated risk for suicide and homicide as adults," Grucza says. "The effect seems to be specific for women."
Grucza said suicide and homicide are very different phenomena.
"Female homicide victims are killed by acquaintances in 92 percent of cases. Lower drinking ages elevate rates of alcohol problems, which may contribute to alcohol-fueled domestic violence." Grucza said. "For suicide, alcohol may contribute to the severity of suicide attempts. In general, women attempt suicide more often than men, but men are more likely to complete--or die from--suicide. Alcohol problems may tip the balance by turning attempts into completions more often. This would be particularly risky for women because of their higher number of suicide attempts."
Many scientists say the adolescent brain is especially vulnerable to the effects of drugs, including alcohol, Grucza said.
"We saw drinking-age changes as a 'natural experiment' to see what happens to young people who have easy access to alcohol compared to those whose access is restricted," he says. "If early drinking is a true risk factor for alcoholism, we would see multiple adverse long-term consequences among people who lived under more permissive drinking age laws as youth--and we did."
The study, "The Legacy of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law Changes: Long-Term Effects on Suicide and Homicide Deaths Among Women," is available online and will be published in the February 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Source: <http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/23047.aspx>
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 American Mental Health Counselors Association
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"Legal drinking age linked to women's risk of suicide and homicide." The Advocate, Dec. 2011, p. 20+. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A374528942/HWRC?u=lincclin_tcc&sid=HWRC&xid=1b55c519. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.